Launchpad, September - October 2005
For a full list of proposed, active and closed projects see here
These three projects are each at a different stage but have opportunities for further industrial Sponsors. The first is a current project. In the second, Phase 2 will begin shortly and the third project is closed but the final report may be obtained by 'buy back'.
Material selection for dissimilar joints in subsea hubs
Project leader: Mike Gittos
There are currently six sponsors.
Cost per sponsor is £50 000.
Completion date: first quarter of 2006
This project addresses concerns raised by the failure of cathodically protected subsea hubs in the North Sea, using low alloy steel to nickel alloy weld metal for dissimilar joints. Phase 1 of the project was concerned with the development of a test method for simulating the failure mechanism and Phase 2 is using this technique to evaluate the influence of material/procedural variables on the propensity for cracking at a number of experimentally produced interfaces.
Reduced pressure electron beam welding and shaped metal deposition for titanium alloys
Project leader: Anita Buxton
Provisional duration of Phase 2: 1 year
Provisional price for Phase 2: £12k
Electron beam at reduced pressures offers the benefits of on-site processing and reduced cycle times. Phase 1 of this project has demonstrated the feasibility of EB welding and shaped metal deposition of titanium alloys at reduced pressure. Phase 2 will optimise the processing parameters with a focus on characterising the performance of welds and deposits for a range of applications.
Materials processing with a Yb fibre laser
Project leader: Pak Chong
Buy back cost: £5,000
This work evaluated the performance and reliability of the Yb laser. The laser produced good quality cuts in Zn coated, C-Mn and stainless steel and aluminium and outline welding procedures were developed. For inert gas cutting, increases in speed when compared with CO2 laser results were obtained. For oxygen gas cutting, excellent quality cuts were obtained, at speeds slightly greater than those with CO2 lasers. Also outline hybrid laser-arc welding procedures were developed for stainless steel, aluminium and positional welding of C-Mn steel.
